1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to commercial retail display units and samples therefor, and more particularly to a display unit and swatch card for displaying a plurality of actual samples of window treatment materials.
2. Description of Related Art
Displaying of product samples for retail or wholesale is well known. An example of such a display unit is taught in U.S. Pat. No. 5,855,480 invented by Housman disclosing a wall covering sample card storage unit. A brick display board invented by Roland is also disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,228,857 wherein, in one embodiment, display bricks are permanently attached to a Plexiglas sheet by adhesive.
Moncrief, et al. in U.S. Design 335,781 teaches a display unit for floor tile samples. Another design patent is disclosed for displaying flooring samples in U.S. Design 303,460 invented by Schouten.
Samaria, in U.S. Pat. No. 6,527,128 teaches a perpendicular display rack for pegboard support members. This invention includes a main frame capable of holding a package which might be a display card capable of holding product samples.
An older U.S. Pat. No. 3,430,364, teaches a fabric display device invented by Kirschbaum. Schaffer in U.S. Pat. No. 4,253,259 teaches a carpet display system in which colors of a particular line of carpeting are displayed on a single card.
The display unit for samples of floor tiles, carpets and similar articles invented by Bolyn is disclosed in U.S. Design 278,954. The advertising device invented by Cohen in U.S. Pat. No. 1,045,372 teaches the display of miniature rug samples on a larger wall surface.
A merchandising selling system and display unit therefor is taught by Gabig in U.S. Pat. No. 6,039,576 in which a product display board including samples of memorial products of each product line are arranged in rows with related design features arranged in the columns.
Other product sample methods now available include sample books which may not be taken home or kept by the consumer. Mail order companies will, upon request, send actual samples, but are not attached to sample cards that also show pricing and options.
The following additional U.S. patents are known to teach some form of commercial display of product as follows:                U.S. Pat. No. 5,807,110 to Hytry, et al.        U.S. Pat. No. 6,068,139 to Brozak, Jr.        U.S. Pat. No. 2,795,059 to Mendelsohn        U.S. Pat. No. 5,370,024 to Lerner, et al.        U.S. Pat. No. 886,057 to Hockaday        
The present invention discloses a window treatment swatch card sampling display for actual take home swatch cards, each of which bear an actual sample of a window treatment material and indicia identifying information associated with that particular sample. The display unit is structured to hold and display columns of groups of actual samples so that a perspective purchaser of window treatment product may easily view samples available and then remove one or more of the swatch cards for closer examination at home, for example, to allow more careful comparison to the actual installation environment. Further product identification information applied thereto allows the consumer to carry the selected swatch cards home for close comparison to the window installation environment.